Anita Dongre's Bridalwear Empire - Bride That Places Value First

Anita Dongre’s bridalwear empire has been built on the premise of purpose. She’s found the sweet spot between consciousness and couture, pulling in a bride that places value first, discovers Akanksha Kamath

- Akanksha Kamath

WHEN I SPEAK TO ANITA DONGRE, the firebrand bridal couture designer with a ₹1,000-crore large business, 11 stores around the country and a firm footprint outside of India, she is unassuming and humble.

It’s a Sunday and I’ve caught her in her private moments, winding down from the week gone by and preparing for the one ahead. On the outskirts of Mumbai, where she lives overlooking a large expanse of forest land, Dongre leads a nondescript life eating what she grows in her backyard, driving electric cars and recycling any waste that her house inadvertently produces.

For Dongre, her bridalwear empire, now 12 years old, has been built on the premise of purpose. She’s found the sweet spot between consciousness and couture, where a legion of brides with a similar belief system find themselves surveying racks of clothing that represent, empower and employ the craft belly of India. Take her recent bride, Kirti Poonia, for example. The ex CEO of Okhai, an organisation dedicated to positively impacting 2,500 women artisans in Gujarat, wore a pristine white lehenga for a wedding ceremony that subverted religious rituals for thoughtful social ones, including guests planting trees and giving thanks to nature.